


Negotiation

by hatebeat



Category: X JAPAN
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-29
Updated: 2013-06-29
Packaged: 2017-12-16 12:57:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/862276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hatebeat/pseuds/hatebeat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yoshiki and Taiji work out the minor details involving Taiji's departure from the band. Late 1991.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Negotiation

This was the third time they had sat down together to negotiate. The last two times, Taiji had blown up and stormed out before anything could be settled. The first time, he had thrown a pitcher of water across the room before leaving. Maybe that was why the staff sitting around the table seemed so on edge. Taiji was a fucking time bomb, and they knew it, but lately the explosions were going off without even a countdown as a warning.

The only one in the room who didn't seem scared of him was Yoshiki, but Taiji almost wished he was. If everyone else was going to treat him like some kind of wild animal that might strike at any minute, Yoshiki damn well should as well. Yoshiki was the only one in this room who _really_ knew what he was capable of. 

Yoshiki wasn't scared, though. Yoshiki was colder than steel, and that pissed him off far more than any of these other jack-offs fears about him ever could.

"We should move on to finalizing the plans for remaining performances," the manager said, not daring to look up. His eyes seemed glued to the paperwork in front of him. Taiji, though, was looking back and forth from that manager, to Yoshiki, to the label rep, and he could hear the blood pounding in his own veins. Nobody would meet his fucking eyes. Fucking cowards!

"What does that have to do with anything?" Taiji shot back. "The dates are already set. The setlists and shit aren't really any of your-"

"We've decided to have your last show be the 5th." That was Yoshiki. Taiji heard a ringing in his ears and his vision clouded over with red for a moment. He gripped the edge of the table.

"What the hell are you talking about? We already have plans- we have 150,000 fans waiting for us!"

At least Yoshiki was finally fucking looking at him. At least someone was. Nobody had listened to him all this time, nobody had paid any attention to what he had to say, but he would make them. He had nothing left to lose, now. He'd make them understand. There was nothing else they could do to him.

"The band will perform without you on the 6th and the 7th," the manager cut in, his tone too god damn gentle- it pissed Taiji right off! "Your last show will be the 5th, but the band will play the other two as planned."

More than angry, though, Taiji realised he was panicking. Without... him? They were going to play his last two shows _without him_? 

"No! You can't do that. These are my last shows, you can't just keep me from playing them." Desperate, he looked to Yoshiki, who was staring fixedly at a spot on the table. "Yoshiki, come on! This is bullshit!"

"We've decided you can only play the one show," Yoshiki reiterated, but his tone was too damn quiet. No. Taiji wasn't going to let this happen. He got to his feet, and everyone around the table visibly flinched, except Yoshiki.

"I'm gonna play all three! Come on. I'll play all three and then I'll quit without an issue. Okay? I already agreed to quit!"

Yoshiki looked up to meet his eyes. Taiji swore he saw a little bit of the icy demeanor melt away, but that was probably wishful thinking. 

"Could the rest of you step out of the room for a bit? I'd like to talk with Taiji one-on-one," Yoshiki said, not looking away from Taiji for a moment. 

"Yoshiki-san, that may not be the best idea," a staffer cut in. Taiji wanted to throw this god damn table. Like he would do anything that fucking drastic! The only time he ever hurt Yoshiki, Yoshiki sure as hell wasn't complaining... The bitch drove him to it!

Yoshiki looked at the staffer, though, and smiled. "Don't worry. Please, just leave us alone to talk."

The staff and manager and label rep all cleared out quietly. Those that dared a look at Taiji only offered ones full of scorn. Bullshit, all of this, treating Taiji like he was some kind of criminal... This was the kind of shit that drove him to name his new Killer model, after all. Criminal. He fucking felt like one all the time, they way they treated him.

Once they were alone, there was still a table between them. He hated this... This wasn't them, sitting around a fucking table having a meeting. They were bandmates, and on top of that, they were... what? Best friends? Lovers? All of the above! Sitting around talking like fucking guys in suits...

This was a mess. They were rockstars.

"You've gotta let me play all three shows," Taiji insisted.

"Why should I?" Yoshiki snapped, his tone suddenly more more forceful now that everyone else was gone from the room. "You keep causing so much trouble, nobody wants to be around you. I don't want to be around you!"

Taiji's body went slack like he'd been slugged. Not that Yoshiki hadn't said worse to him in the past; they fought constantly over the past few months, and all...

"You don't fuckin' get it, huh? X is... it's everything to me."

"It's everything to all of us! But you've still been trying to take it down from the inside for months," Yoshiki retorted. 

Fuck this. Taiji pushed back his chair, and he went around the table to where Yoshiki was. Yoshiki stared up defiantly at him for a moment, as if daring Taiji to hit him or something. Taiji was sort of fucking tempted, but...

He pulled out the chair at Yoshiki's side and pulled it so it was facing away from Yoshiki. He then dropped down onto it heavily, sitting backwards on it like some delinquent high school kid. Taiji leaned his elbows on the back of the chair, leaning close to Yoshiki.

"It's only for two more days. Right? You only have to deal with seeing my stupid face for two more days. Then I'll be out of your way forever," Taiji reasoned, quite calmly despite his words.

Hearing that, though, he could see Yoshiki's face fall, a visible emotional reaction. Yoshiki looked away quickly, but Taiji reached out and caught his chin, pulling Yoshiki's face back to look at him.

" _Please,_ " Taiji insisted. Yoshiki didn't understand. This would break him. The fact that Yoshiki thought they could so casually just play without him...

They didn't already have a replacement lined up, did they? _Already?_ No fuckin' way, that was impossible! ...Right?

"I'm sorry, Taiji..."

No. No way. Taiji tightened his fingers on Yoshiki's chin and pulled him close, pushing himself forward. He crushed his lips to Yoshiki's, and although at first there was some hesitation, some resistance, his tongue was soon sliding over Yoshiki's, and his rough grasp on Yoshiki's chin relaxed, but just a bit.

When he pulled back, he looked into Yoshiki's eyes, letting him see all of Taiji's honesty.

"There was a time when... we..." Taiji's words failed him. He struggled for a moment, but...

"We were in love," Yoshiki helpfully supplied him, his voice quiet. He wasn't able to meet Taiji's eyes when he said that, which was just as well, because Taiji looked away in embarrassment. That was... kinda deep, huh?

It was... probably true, though.

Taiji could never admit such a thing. Instead, he grabbed at Yoshiki more insistently, kissing him brutally. Fuck the chair in between them, in his fucking way. Taiji... needed to get closer...

Yoshiki pulled back, though, before Taiji could make that desire a reality.

"F-fine. You can play all three days," Yoshiki said, his voice definitely a bit unsteady. He wasn't quite meeting Taiji's eyes anymore, either. So, he didn't want to do this. 

But Taiji needed this. He needed to be able to say goodbye to the fans... to his band. However he had to earn it, he had Yoshiki's concession. 

"...Thank you. I won't cause you anymore problems."

So, he would play these shows. He would play the best he had ever played. And at the end of it all...

This would be the end of the period of his life where he lived his life for X. For X, and for Yoshiki.


End file.
